Château Margaux: Origins
The history of Château Margaux begins more than nine hundred years ago, during the 12th century. At the time the estate went by the name of La Mothe, and it was attached to the seigneurie of Blanquefort. There were no vines planted here, the area being largely marshland, with just a few areas – such as that at Château Margaux – rising above the water table. This higher ground was deemed suitable for planting, but the crops were more likely to have been arable – wheat, or sugar beet in more recent years – than the vine.
Indeed, the appeal of La Mothe may well have been more strategic than agricultural. The property is located at the heart of the commune of Margaux, just a stone’s throw from the waters of the Gironde. Indeed, when visiting the châteaux, if you miss the turning into the estate you only need to continue on for a few hundred metres before you arrive at the palus, the low-lying land along the banks of the estuary more suitable for raising lamb than planting vines. Keep going and you will soon find yourself parked up at the water’s edge, just you and perhaps one or two of the region’s more optimistic anglers. It is a good spot, therefore, to establish a defensive position.
